


It's Just a Coffee Date, Don't Panic

by Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat



Series: Slice of Life Smile For Me [9]
Category: Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Coffee, First Dates, M/M, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-07 01:16:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20301049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat
Summary: “Okay, my turn. Worst and best ice cream flavor?” Parsley asked. Kamal laughed, maybe a little too loudly.“Really?”“It’s important Bora!” They both laughed.





	It's Just a Coffee Date, Don't Panic

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I had a lot of fun writing this one! I do want to let you all know that school has started up for me again, so this series will probably get updated less frequently. The quality of the fics may go up though, since I think before I was more focused on getting them done fast than them being good. I'm really really happy with this one and I hope you all are too! Enjoy!

“Oh gosh, oh geez…” Kamal muttered to himself, looking through his closet. He really shouldn’t be worried about what he was wearing, they were just going to a local coffee shop, it’s not like they were going to the Ritz or anything. Still, it was the first date he’d been on in a while and he was nervous.

He had been over the moon when Parsley asked him on a date, and he was still over the moon, but he was anxious now too. Logically he knew he had no reason to be anxious, it was just Parsley after all. They may have been out of contact for a long time, and a lot may have changed in that time, but Parsley had seemed more than accepting about his gender. They would just catch up and talk about things, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Kamal took a few deep breaths and reached into his closet to grab a nice button up and some simple but comfortable pants. So, not really all that different from what he wore outside of work anyways. 

He left his room to head downstairs. Florian (he was still getting used to the name, but it fit them so well) was sitting on the couch. They gave him a thumbs up when they saw him, and tapped their wrist like they were pointing at an invisible watch. He glanced at the clock they had on the wall and swore quietly. Florian gasped and grinned mischievously at him.

“Never repeat that, and if you feel you must, don’t do it at school!” He said, rushing into the foyer to put his shoes on. “I’m gunna head out so I’m not later than I am already, be good okay? I trust you with the house, don’t burn it down or anything,” He said, all of it coming out in a rush. Florian hopped up and gave him a quick hug. “Thanks kid. I’ll tell you all about it when I’m back.” They gave him another thumbs up before he was out the door. He considered driving so he wouldn’t be even more late, but it wasn’t a very long walk to downtown, and he could probably run.

* * *

He could not run. Not the whole way there at least. Still, he made it there as fast as he could. He opened up the door to the coffee shop and looked around it. He spotted Parsley quickly. He had his back to the door, sitting at a two person seated table. He glanced at the clock and Kamal felt a wave of guilt. The thought of just turning around and going home crossed his mind, but he shook his head to get rid of it. That wouldn’t be fair to Parsley, or himself really. He wanted to be on this date as much as Parsley did, he was sure. He took a deep breath and went over to sit opposite his childhood friend.

“Hey! I’m so sorry I’m late, I uh...I lost track of time,” He said, smiling sheepishly. Parsley perked up at seeing him, and he smiled brightly. 

“Don’t worry about it, I was here early anyways,” Parsley replied. They both chuckled awkwardly. “We should...we should probably buy something. I’ve been getting the stink eye from one of the wait staff, I think they thought I was loitering.” Kamal laughed and nodded, hopping back out of his chair. They both got into the small line leading up to the counter, standing in silence. Kamal felt really awkward, especially when he ordered what others might call a “girly” drink. “I’ll pay, don’t worry,” Parsley said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Kamal blushed and nodded, even though he felt sort of bad about it. He wasn’t really sure of Parsley’s finances, but most college students didn’t have a lot of money, especially if they were raising a kid. Granted, Parsley had had three jobs at once at one point a few years ago so maybe he had enough saved?

Kamal took another few deep breaths, trying to stop his racing mind. Parsley gave him a concerned glance, but he just grinned back. If he could get his mind to shut up for a few minutes, he’d be fine. The barista gave them their drinks, and winked at Kamal. He blushed slightly, and hoped that Parsley hadn’t noticed. They made their way over to their table again, and sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, just sipping their coffee. After a minute, Parsley chuckled awkwardly.

“Sorry I uh...I haven’t been on a date in about...geez, two and a half years? It’s been a while, I’m out of the loop,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Kamal laughed slightly and felt a little more relaxed.

“It’s been about a year and a half for me, don’t worry, I don’t know anymore than you do,” Kamal said, grinning at Parsley. 

“You were seeing someone when the Habitat was a thing?” Kamal stiffened up at that.

“I would rather not talk about that,” He said. 

“Right...sorry,” Parsley said. They sat in silence for another little bit before Kamal took a deep breath.

“People ask questions about each other on first dates, right?” Parsley nodded. “Okay, so...what’s your favorite place around town?” Parsley grinned.

“The park, especially when I’m going with ‘Nia. I love watching her run around and have fun. And pushing her on the swing, she loves that. Plus, it’s just a nice calm spot to be when I’m on my own,” Parsley said. He suddenly looked a little awkward. “Sorry if I talk about ‘Nia too much. She’s just a big part of my life now.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll probably talk about Florian a lot too. At least it isn’t like...some blind date where we didn’t know we were parents before hand.” They both chuckled.

“Florian huh? They finally picked a name?” Parsley asked, and Kamal nodded. “It suits them. What about you though? Favorite place in town?”

“Not to sound like an introvert but...probably my own house. It’s cozy, and I know where everything is and it’s just...it’s a great little place. I don’t really get out much anyways, aside from Florian dragging me around,” Kamal said. Parsley nodded along.

“Okay, my turn. Worst and best ice cream flavor?” Parsley asked. Kamal laughed, maybe a little too loudly.

“Really?”

“It’s important Bora!” They both laughed. 

“Worst is rocky road and best is...mint chip,” Kamal said.

“Mint chip is probably my second favorite. Tiger tail is the best, and plain vanilla is the worst,” Parsley said. Kamal raised an eyebrow.

“What the heck is ‘tiger tail’?” He asked. Parsley gasped and leaned forward against the table. 

“You’ve seriously never heard of it? It’s great! Orange ice cream with black licorice swirls, it’s amazing,” Parsley explained. 

“Sounds interesting at least. You’ll have to take me somewhere to try some sometime,” Kamal said. “Maybe for our second date?” Parsley grinned at that.

“Absolutely!” 

They spent another hour and a half asking each other questions that ranged from “what your biggest fear” to “what’s your favorite pizza topping”. They found out new things about each other, (that Kamal was a fan of alternative music, that Parsley wanted to teach middle school) and found that old things they had known about each other were the same (Kamal’s favorite color was still purple, Parsley still hated sports). They laughed a lot, and all their awkwardness seemed to seep away. Until the last question at least.

“What about family? How’s Jimothan these days?” Kamal asked, pushing aside his empty cup of coffee. Parsley stiffened up a little, and took a deep breath.

“It’s uh...well, y’know, I’ve got ‘Nia now and stuff but uh...things are a little rocky with my dad. He’s putting in an effort to be more understanding and stuff, but it’s still...awkward. ‘Nia doesn’t really know how to navigate the situation either, since she isn’t really sure where the two of us lie in our relationship. It’s...it’s an awkward mess, but it’s slowly getting better. I think,” Parsley said slowly. Kamal winced slightly. “What about you? How’s your mom and dad?” He winced again.

“I uh...I haven’t talked to them in years. I don’t...I don’t even have their contact info or anything.” He laughed awkwardly as Parsley’s eyes widened a bit. “They didn’t take the whole...y’know...the gender thing well. It’s okay though! I have Florian now and-” Kamal stopped suddenly when Parsley took his hand under the table. He blushed bright red, but Parsley just smiled softly at him.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that. It doesn’t matter to me though. You’re an amazing man Kamal, I’m really really glad we’ve gotten to know each other and that this is going to happen at least once more,” Parsley said, gently stroking his thumb over the back of Kamal’s hand. Kamal squeaked slightly, which only made Parsley laugh. “Trust me, I’m not usually this smooth. It’s just that this is important, y’know?” Kamal nodded and Parsley let go of his hand. “We should uh...we should probably get going. I don’t wanna leave Mirphy alone with both Millie and Putunia for too long. I can’t imagine what the two of them can get up to.” They both chuckled as they stood up.

“I guess you’re walking me home. My house is closer after all,” Kamal teased. Parsley chuckled and blushed slightly. “Oh c’mon, don’t get all embarrassed now. You just pulled a major stunt a second ago, you’re not allowed to be flustered now.” They both laughed as they made their way back to their neighborhood. 

They walked in a comfortable silence, both of them running the date through their minds. Kamal couldn’t help grinning like a lovesick fool, and Parsley had a pretty silly looking smile on his face too. For the first date he’d had in a long time, it had definitely been a nice one, Kamal decided. The walk back seemed so much faster than his run there had, and they weren’t in any hurry. They stood in front of Kamal’s house for a few seconds, sort of unsure of what to do. In the end, Kamal gave Parsley a tight hug, which he easily returned. “I had a great time, I definitely want to do this again,” He said.

“Yeah, me too,” Parsley replied. Kamal pulled away from him and they grinned at each other for a moment. “I’ll uh...I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Kamal said. He headed up the steps to his porch, and turned to wave at Parsley before heading back in the house. Florian was on him in a second, bouncing up and down and grabbing his hand to drag him over to the couch. He laughed loudly and let himself be dragged.

“How’d it go? Was it fun? Are you going on a second date?” They signed excitedly. 

“It went great. I can’t wait for date two.”


End file.
